Unloading machine



Jan. 15, 1929. 1,698,854

. s. NAGAO UNLQADING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 16 1925 4 Sheets-Shet 1 Jan. 15,1929.

5. NAGAO UNLOADING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 16, 1925 m 26 zsoij 6623 I W M 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 15, 1929". 1,698,854

I s. NAGAO uuwwme mcaius Original Filed Dec. 16, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet s. NAGAO UNLOADING mcnma Jan. 15, 1929. 1,698,854

Original Filed Dec. 16. 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Flgllja J. 1:

B TTQRNEYS Patented Jan. 15, 192 9.

UNITED STATES PATENT oF I 1,698,854 FICE."

SETUB6 NAGAO, OF TOKYO, JAPAN.

unnoanme -MACHINE.

Original application filed December 16, 1925, Serial No. 75,505,211! in' Japan December 17, 1924. Divided and this application filed August 11, 1926. Serial My invention relates to improvements in an unloading machine having guide-bars for the vertically movable grab. My-invention comprises the provision of an operators cage and scraping boards at the bottom portion of said guide-bars. These guide-bars themselves are also guided by a fixed frame so that they may be vertically adjusted by the operator according to the position of the material to be handled.

The objects of my invention are as follows:

1. To permit the grab to handle the material at any desired pointof its scope with the aid of the guide-bars, without shaking or entangling the-ropes by which the grab is suspended.

2. To enable the operator easily to overlook everything in front of him, by attaching the operators cage to the guide-bars.

3. To complete the scraping or scavenging of the material by means :of the scraping board at the bottom portion of the guide-bars.

4. To attain automatic operation in the case of driving by an electric motor by attaching one electric terminal to the lower end of one guide-bar and the other, to the fixed frame in accordance with the highest or discharging position of the grab or corresponding position of a counter weight on the chute,

and the third to any other required part. The two former are actuated by the motion of the grab and the remainder by the motion of the grab jaws, or the corresponding relative movement of the operating ropes. I

I will now describe my invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing by way of example the assembled apparatus combined with a belt-conveyor when unloading from a bar e.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the view shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a )lan of the same.

Fig. 4 is an elevation s owing my unloading machine; Fig. 5is a side elevationof the same.

Fig. 6 shows an elevation of the guide-bars, Fig. 7 a plan of lower portion thereof, and

Fig. 8 a plan of the upper portion.

Fig. 9 shows an elevation of the scraping boardand Fig. 10 a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic sketch showing an automatic operating device for my machine.

' Similar letters indicate similar parts in the different drawings. e

rope 42 passing over a therewith a V guided on said pulleys,

Referring to Fig. 1, a frame 5 is movably mounted on thetruck 6 which is movable parallel with the edge of the wharf. The said truck is moved by a motor 61. The vertical guide-bars 4 by which the grab 1 is guided,

and an automatic swinging chute 2 are fixed on one end of said movable frame, said chute being pivoted at 21. The hoist 500 of the grab and the counter weight 44 of the guide-bars 4 are placed on the other end. The said counterweight and guide bars are connected by pulley 43.

A belt conveyor 30 contained by the frame 5 conveys horizontally the material dropping from .an open hopper 3 disposed below the chute 2. i

As a tripper 31 of the belt conveyor is atached to a chute 32 on the truck 6, the material may be carried away from the belt conveyor to the chute and finally by means of a long belt 33 along truck rails on the ground to the destination.

with guide shoes guideways formed in the guide nel-shaped bars 55. Suspended from said frame is a grab 1 comprislng a pair of jaws 13 pivoted to the frame adjacent to its lower edge, said jaws being connected together by a pair of links 13, one secured to each of the jaws, said llnks being pivotally connected together .at their free ends the organization being such that the aws are closed and opened respece tively byra-ising and lowering the pivoted ends of the links. For this purpose a cable 11 secured at one end to a Windlass 500 (Fig.

secured at its opposite end to the pivoted ends of the links. Mounted on the pivot of said links is a pulley 13", and in vertical alinement ulley 17 is mounted on, a: ,piYOt carried by t e frame 17, the cable llfbeing as shown in'fEig." .4, so

,1) passes over a pulley (Fig. 4) and is that by winding the cable ll'on the Windlass the pivoted ends of the links will beraised, thereby closing the jaws, as will be readily understood. vAn auxiliary cable 12is secured at one end to the frame 17, passes overapulley 120, and is connected at its opposite end to another drum carried by the Windlass 500.

Assuming that the grab has been lowered in 11 is wound up, the jaws will be brought together, thus scoopingup the material which is intended to be raised. Upon continued.

winding of the rope,the grab will ascend, and

when a predetermined position is reached,

the top portion of the grab will engagewith a counterweight, 200 connected to the lower end 22 of the chute 2 by ropes 23 and 230 passing over pulleys 26, 260, 25 and 24, and raises the said weights thereby causing the ropes 23 and 230 to slacken so that the chute will swing on its pivot into the inclined position shown in full lines in Fig. 5, with its upper, heavier portion extending beneath the grab and its lower end 22 within the open hopper 3, the swinging movement of the chute belng limited by a cable 240 attached at one end to the frame 5 and at. its opposite end to the extreme upper end of the chute. It will be understood that the chute is normally reg of the guidears by which the gathering and tained in vertical position by the counterweight 200.

After winding to a certain extent the action ceases and the auxiliary rope 12 of the grab following the motion of the main rope 11 is braked; Hence the grab dischargesits con-J tents on the chute 2 by the action of gravity on the grab jaws as well as the releasing action of the main rope 11.

By releasing the brake on the auxiliary rope,

- the grab is then lowered down to the material to be handled, and thus one cycle of handling operations of the grab is com leted. f

Y In.orde r to insure that t e chute 2' has .swung'entirely out'of the way of the-grabwhen the latter is descending, means isjpro;

-.-vided for causing the weight 200 to descend with the grab during the first part of the downward movement of the latter. This means, as shown somewhat diagrammatically in Fig. '5, comprises'a pair of bell cranks pivoted, to the counterweight 200 at each side thereof, the depending arms 211 of said ball cranks bein hook-shaped at their lower ends and adapted to engage lateral flanges formed at the top edge of the grab frame 17. The

outer portions of the hooks are rounded so that on the upward movement of the grab the lateral flanges of. the framel? willengage said rounded ends and swing the bellcranks on their pivots. and thus permit said flanges topass, whereupon, by means of counterweights 212 on the horizontal arins of the gage beneath the said lateral'flanges so that when the grab starts to descend it will carry the weight 200 with it. When the grab has 'descendeda suflicient distance to insure that the chute has been swung into vertical posihen, the hooks 211 ride upon wedge-shaped lugs 50 formed on the guide bars and re;

lease the of the grab frame, thus leavto continue its descent.

upper fixed bar 55 fixed to the frame 5 and Y the lower movable bar 4 situated in telescopic relation to the fixed bar 55 and sliding there-' in as shown in the drawings.

Referrin to Figs. 6 and 7 the bottom ends of the movzible guide-bars form a rectangular frame 41, and an operators cage 40 is installed on one side of the frame.

' In this cage the operator can safety operate the whole apparatus, observing the material to be handled infrontof him.

The lower portion 4 of the guide-bars can be moved up and down, according to the position of the material to be handled, by winding with a winch 46 the rope 45 connected to the frame 5'.

A scrapin board is attached to the bottom scavenging of material at the bottom of a grabbing. of the grab, one of the scraping boards'411 is brought intoioperation by the travel of the truck 6 andthefotlier 401' by the motion of the frame 5 mount" "on the truck 6.

Each of the edges at eith' of the scraping board 401 or 411 for j trunnion403, which is journalled in an. aperture of a vertical spindle 406 supported inthe frame 41.

And the scraping board-can not rotate'in the I inner direction o win' to-thexengageinent or a lug 402 pro ecting rom the board with an elongation 405 extending from the end of the vertical spindle 406.1 When the board in the course of itsscra ing meets with any obstacle at the botto "oh thebarge, the spring 409 whlch normally lls the board inwards, expands, unt l-the. card inclines outwards and passes safel over such obstacle.

fecting a complete scraping.

The spring 40 absorbs the shock due to th I lower ng guide-bar striking the bottom ofthe barge and also serves as a means-for efcall shows the automatic operation of the j gra there are three sets of electric terminals,

having relations with relays and other useful apparatus on the distributing electrical panels on the machine room. The first set-7, fixed on the bottom portion of the guide-bar, is

adjustable according to the position of the -mater1al and,.-hemg actuated by the rejection 184 of the descendm grab, causes t egrab to ascend. The secon set 72 is attached to the ppnt of the- V position of the co ed frame corresponding to the v weight 200 of his I l set is actuated by the projection 282 of theascending counterweight 2OQand the upward motion of the grab is stopped, the auxiliary.

rope is braked and the main rope is released thus causing the grab to open., The third set 71 may beactuated, for example, by thetion, where the second terminals 72 are ac-- tuated by the ascending counterweight. The engagement of the projection 282 and the terminals 72 causes the grab to stop, the auxiliary rope to be braked, the main rope'to be released, and the grab to be opened to discharge the material on the chute. After it isfully opened, the grab descends again onto the material to' be handled, by the engagement of the projection 14 and the third terminals 71, or by the like engagement through the relative movement of the main and auxiliary r0 es. V

y repeating such operations-as above de: scribed, the complete automatic handling operations are readily attained.

- My invention is applicable not only for the double rope grab as above described, but also for the single rope grab or any other bucket or skip.

prime mover, not only an electric motor, but

any'heat engine.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

A device of the character described, comprising, in combination, a fixed frame, ver-' tically disposed guide bars supported in said frame, a vertically movable grab disposed between said guide bars and adapted to be guided thereby during its vertical movements, and electrical means for automatically operating said grab and comprisinga pair of terminals carried by said guide bars at'the lower ends thereof, said terminals being in electrical connection with a source'of power, means carried by the grab for closing" the circuit through said terminals when the grab has reached its lowermost position, a second pair of terminals disposed on said frame in the path of said grab, and a third pair of terminals disposed in position to'be operated by said grab during its opening movement, the closing of the circuit through the respective terminals being effective to raise the grab from its lowermost to its cause the grab to be opened to discharge material therefrom, and to cause the descent, of said grab to its lowermost position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

SETURO NAGAO.

highest position, to

With my invention it is possible to use as 

